The original Bronze Tablet, which is awarded to a graduating senior that has done the most for the welfare, good name and progress of Westfield High School. (WNG file photo)
WESTFIELD – From the original list of fourteen students, Westfield High School has announced the three finalists to receive the annual Bronze Tablet award.
The Bronze Tablet is awarded annually at the Senior Assembly to that member of the graduating class “Who has done the most for the welfare, good name, and progress of Westfield High School.”
Below are the finalists autobiographies, in alphabetical order.
Ryan Prenosil, 2016-17 Westfield High School Bronze Tablet finalist (Photo courtesy WHS)
Ryan Prenosil
Quite frankly, I cannot say that I am any more deserving than the other 13 nominees. Every nominee represents our school motto “Honor Non Honores” meaning seek honor above rewards. This saying embodies what the Bronze Tablet stands for, which is the “promotion of the welfare, good name, and progress of Westfield High School”. It is difficult to measure which nominee has done the “most good”, because each one has positively impacted the school community in their own unique way. With that said, I’ll try to make my case.
Westfield High has given me some of the best memories, friends, and opportunities these past four years and I am truly humbled and honored to even be considered for the Bronze Tablet. When I first came into high school I was apprehensive. I took the advice of my teachers, parents and older friends to get involved and become a part of something bigger than myself. I first joined Key Club and eventually became involved in other extracurriculars such as Class Officers, Student Council and NHS. Along with participating on the soccer team in the fall and track team in the winter and spring, I engrained myself within other aspects of the culture of Westfield High. Outside the walls of the school I represented Westfield High by being elected the Division 24 Lieutenant Governor of Key Club International my Junior year. That same year I also attended Boys’ State where I received the Archembault Award. In July 2016, I was chosen to represent the students of Westfield High on the search committee formed to select the new principal, Mr. Jendrysik. However, I think one of my most significant roles over the years has been Class Treasurer and the various fundraising and organizing of events that the other class officers and I have been a part of. I sincerely hope that these roles and that my time here at Westfield High whether it was in the classroom, on the field/track, or at school events has positively impacted our class and school community as a whole.
The opportunities that Westfield High and all of its teachers, students, and staff have given me ultimately shaped me into the person I am today. What I have given to Westfield High pales in comparison to what Westfield High has given to me and for that I will always be grateful. Thank you for your consideration and good luck to the rest of the candidates.
Extracurriculars and involvement:
4 year Key Club member and current VP, Class Treasurer for past 3 years, STUCO Representative for past 3 years, Think Tank editorial writer, Soccer Mini-Camp coach, MASC (Student Council) and DECON (Key Club), Representative 2015, Lieutenant Governor (Division 24) for Key Club International, 2015-2016 NHS Member, WHS Principal search committee member, Boys’ State Delegate 2016, Class One-Acts member past 2 years, 4 year soccer player and Co-Captain for 2016 season, 4 year track member, Co-Captain past 2 years, Super 7 recipient
Victoria Sardhina, 2016-17 Westfield High School Bronze Tablet finalist (Photo courtesy WHS)
Victoria Sardinha
It all began at our Freshman Orientation on a hot August day: the ins and outs, the rules, the locker combinations, and the vague advice of “get involved.” The first thing I noticed was the Student Council tour guides. They took the time from their summer morning to show us how to open our lockers, tell us about which teachers we should avoid (even though they were not supposed to tell us that), and advise us not to believe the rumors about the pool on the fourth floor. To many, this was utterly insignificant, but to me, this was a turning point, it gave me a desire within to “get involved” and give back to my new school.
I joined the Cross Country team as a freshman, and the support of that team gave me the confidence to join clubs and do more for the school community. I joined the Conservation Club as a freshman and began to understand what it felt like to do something that makes a difference. I stuck with Conservation Club and used it to help me make connections and work for the community and the school. As freshman year closed I was on the honor roll and a part of the Renaissance program, but I found myself wanting to do more.
I continued to take part in the same activities I did freshman year into my sophomore year, but I found myself getting more caught up in the sporting events and spirit weeks. I noticed I had the most fun when expressing my school spirit and that is when I decided that I would run for Class President, knowing if I won I would also be able to take part in a part of Student Council, something I had always wanted. I wanted to make a difference and help my fellow peers have a memorable time at WHS, I knew I would be able to achieve this or at least come close to it, as Class President and as a Student Council Member.
As Class President, I raised money for our class and planned senior events. Being Class President also gave me the opportunity to be on Student Council, and I used that opportunity to help make our school a better place. I raised money and walked for diabetes awareness, chaired the bomber blowout dance, performed in the pep rally, painted our school and was a freshman orientation group leader. I joined COPE club to help our school community and with this, I also helped make our school more present in our city’s community, by making baked goods for bake sales supporting local and national fundraising campaigns and raising money for Griffin’s Friends through sports. I also spend a lot of my time volunteering through NHS as a Soup Kitchen Server and as a helper at Legion Dinners. On top of this I decided that I wanted to be more involved with our school’s sports teams and so I managed the boys Varsity Basketball team, I was able to not only enjoy watching them play, but support them and the school by keeping the book and cheering them on. As a member of Student Council, NHS, COPE and as Class President, I look back and see that I have found myself finally doing what I aimed to do as a freshman the past two years. It was a progression, but I finally feel as though I have reached my initial goal.
The summer before senior year is when I realized I had gained the respect of people around our school community, I received an email inviting me to be a part of the committee who would narrow down the pool of applicants for our school’s new Principal. This experience helped me affect the school greatly and then later that Fall I would help do the same for the Vice Principal position.This opportunity was humbling and helped me better understand the process of our school system. In all, it helped me be a better Class President and Student Council member because it gave me an idea of what the adults in our lives look for in a leader, and I wanted to emulate that as closely as I could. I plan to continue to have a positive impact throughout the rest of my time at Westfield High, and I would like to thank you for the honor of being a Bronze Tablet Nominee.
Academic and Extracurricular Recap: Class President (Junior and Senior Year) Conservation Club (Freshman through Junior Year) COPE Club Member (Junior and Senior Year) Honor Roll/ High Honors (Freshman through Senior year) NHS Member (Mid Junior year and Senior Year) Principal Search Committee Member (Summer 2016) Student Council Event Chair (Senior Year) Student Council Representative (Junior and Senior Year) Varsity Basketball Manager (Senior Year) Varsity Cross Country Runner (Freshman through Senior year) Varsity Track and Field Member (3 years) Vice Principal Search Committee Member (Fall 2016)
Anoushka Sharma, 2016-17 Westfield High School Bronze Tablet finalist (Photo courtesy WHS)
Anoushka Sharma
I would like to thank the faculty members for nominating me for the prestigious Bronze Tablet Award. It is a great honor. The Bronze Tablet is awarded every year to the student who has contributed most to the “welfare, good name, and progress of Westfield High School”. In my time at Westfield High, I have been involved in numerous clubs, activities, and volunteer organizations.
Since freshman year, I have been involved in the Westfield High School Concert Band as a trumpet player. I have performed at countless halftime shows at football games, including the Thanksgiving Day game. I have represented “the sound of Bomber Pride” at the Big E’s Westfield Day parade, and the Veteran’s Day and Memorial Day parades in Westfield, as well as the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Holyoke. As a sophomore, I served on the Student Assisting Leadership Team for Band where I was a representative for my class and helped come up with ideas for fundraising events and concerts. This year, I will be travelling with the band to Florida to represent our school. I have been a member of two varsity sports teams for the entirety of my high school career. This year, I served as a captain on both the swim and tennis teams. As a swimmer and captain, I participated in fundraising events for the team and represented our school at Western Massachusetts Championships in my junior year. My role has been similar on the tennis team, helping my fellow captains organize fundraising events while also competing in matches as a singles player. During my sophomore year, I started the Journalism Club with the help of a few of my friends. Through this club, we participated in a statewide public service announcement contest against texting and driving run by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. I was the recipient of the Local Affiliate Runner-up Award and represented our school at an awards ceremony for the National Center for Women in Information & Technology.
Last year, I represented our school at Massachusetts Girls State. As a junior, I was inducted into the National Honor Society. Having already volunteered at the Westfield Athenaeum for five years, the organization gave me the opportunity to volunteer my time at Fort Meadow School, the Amelia Park Children’s Museum, as well as the local Soup Kitchen. I ran for office at the end of junior year and now serve as the chapter’s secretary. I have attended conferences where I, along with my fellow officers, represented the school and met other NHS members from across the state to share ideas to improve our organizations. My responsibilities as an officer include taking notes at our monthly executive board meetings, creating agendas for our chapter meetings, writing on behalf of the organization and handling public outreach. As an officer this year, I was able to work with the chapter to raise funds to donate to a non-profit organization in India that rehabilitates survivors of human-trafficking. Through the chapter’s efforts, we raised $531 that will go towards taking care of the girls there.
I couldn’t be prouder to be a part of the band, the teams, and organizations I have had the privilege to be involved in at Westfield High School. Being selected as a nominee for the Bronze Tablet is a great honor in itself. I truly believe that everyone who was nominated has worked very hard throughout their four years at Westfield High School and is most deserving of the award.
The Bronze Tablet award recipient’s name is permanently engraved on a bronze tablet and added to the plaque, which stands prominently in the main entrance to the school near the auditorium. The winner is determined each year by a vote of the senior class from a list of students nominated by the faculty. A nominee must receive three nominations from faculty members in order to qualify for the student ballot.
